Montreal City Guide - overview

The world's largest inland port, Montreal was founded as a missionary village in 1642, 100 years after Jacques Cartier discovered the area. The French stayed in control of the growing settlement until 1760 when the British stepped in, sparking a now centuries-old French resentment of the British interference. Despite some undeniable English architectural and cultural influences, Montreal is today one of the world's largest French-speaking cities, set on an overwhelmingly English-speaking continent, and a metropolis of international repute, framed between Mont Royal and the St Lawrence River.

The city is in the south of Canada's Quebec province, only 37 miles (60km) from the United States border, and is an important hub of North American trade. It is a spacious, beautiful city characterised by a series of underground shopping and recreation complexes, linked by walkways and the metro. This subterranean city contains more than 18.5 miles (30km) of office and apartment complexes, major stores, hotels, restaurants, metro stations, parking garages, movie theatres, concert halls and more, all snugly accessible during the snowy winters.

Its population is a multicultural mix, which has fostered a vibrant cultural life, cemented by its French and British roots. There are several theatres offering year-round plays, ballet and music, art galleries and museums. Like most Canadian cities, Montreal has interspersed urban development with green areas. In this case pride of place is taken by the spacious Parc du Mont-Royal, designed by Frederic Olmsted, the American landscape artist who also designed Central Park in New York. The city also has 30 museums and numerous other attractions of interest to visitors all year round.

Getting around: Montreal's sensible layout combined with an extensive and super-efficient public transport system (Metro, bus and commuter rail services) make getting around the city easy. In fair weather hundreds of kilometres of bike paths that span the island offer a healthier, pleasant option. Public transport is run by STCUM. The pristine metro has dozens of stations along four different lines with numerous stops in the subterranean mall. The metro stops are all integrated with a comprehensive network of city bus routes. The metro and buses run between 5.30am and 1am, with a limited night bus service filling in. The inner city services in turn connect to a commuter rail network that serves the suburbs. Fares are standard on both the bus and metro and transfers are free; a discounted tourist pass is available for bus and metro. Metered taxis can be hailed in the streets downtown or ordered by telephone. There are numerous car rental firms in the city, but roads are often heavily congested and traffic jams are common.